Deerwood Ranch Wild Horse Ecosanctuary

The Deerwood Ranch Wild Horse Ecosanctuary is the first Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sponsored wild horse ecosanctuary in the United States. The ecosanctuary is located on a 4,000-acre, family-owned ranch approximately 30 miles west of Laramie in southeastern Wyoming. Public lands are not included in this project.

The Deerwood Ranch would provide long-term, humane care for up to 300 excess wild horses gathered from Wyoming public rangelands.

Initial public scoping for the wild horse ecosanctuary was conducted in April and May2012. The EA was made available for public comment in July and August 2012, and all comments concerning potential impacts were addressed in the EA. The Decision Record was subject to administrative review through the appeal process, which is outlined in the Decision Record. A copy of the EA, FONSI, and DR are available at: www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/documents/rfo/ecosanctuary.html.

The BLM will sponsor the ecosanctuary at a funding level comparable to what the bureau pays for the care of excess wild horses on long-term pastures in the Midwest.

The ecosanctuary would be publicly accessible and provide ecotourism opportunities. In addition, the partnership agreement would contain a fundraising component which would defray costs for operating the sanctuary and save taxpayer dollars.